Lamar Jackson’s long-term future unresolved as Ravens apply non-exclusive tag
The Baltimore Ravens announced on Tuesday that they have used their franchise tag on star quarterback Lamar Jackson, although his long-term future remains uncertain.
A source told the Associated Press that the Ravens’ tag is non-exclusive. That means Jackson can still talk to other teams. But the Ravens would have a chance to match any agreement between Jackson and another team, and if they choose not to match, they’d receive two first-round draft picks in return for the player. If Jackson plays this season on the franchise tag, he would make $32.4m.
Baltimore could have prevented Jackson from negotiating with anyone else by using the exclusive-rights franchise tag, but that would have meant paying Jackson around $45m for the upcoming season.
The deadline to apply the franchise tag was 4pm Eastern on Tuesday. The Ravens were always expected to use the tag if they didn’t reach a long-term deal with Jackson first. The Ravens and Jackson can continue negotiating now, although the nonexclusive tag means he can negotiate with other teams, too.
“There have been many instances across the league and in Baltimore when a player has been designated with the franchise tag and signed a long-term deal that same year,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “We will continue to negotiate in good faith with Lamar, and we are hopeful that we can strike a long-term deal that is fair to both Lamar and the Ravens. Our ultimate goal is to build a championship team with Lamar Jackson leading the way for many years to come.”
The Dallas Cowboys used the exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Dak Prescott in 2020. A year later, they reached a long-term deal with him. Kirk Cousins is another quarterback who played on the franchise tag fairly recently. He did it his final two seasons in Washington before joining the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.
So now the saga between Jackson and the Ravens enters its next phase. Josh Allen, the other star quarterback drafted in 2018 with Jackson, signed a long-term deal with Buffalo two offseasons ago. Jackson, on the other hand, entered last season still without an extension. His contract status didn’t seem too disruptive last offseason – he participated in mandatory minicamp and training camp – but there’s no telling how the next few months will go.
Jackson was the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player, and his dynamic passing and running make him one of the game’s most compelling stars. At age 26, he already is one of six quarterbacks in NFL history with 10,000 yards passing and 4,000 rushing. His 12 games with at least 100 yards rushing are an NFL record.
Jackson has been hurt at the end of the past two seasons, and the Ravens haven’t reached the AFC championship game with him, but his impact on their offense is undeniable. If he remains with Baltimore, he’ll have a new coordinator after the Ravens hired Georgia’s Todd Monkin.